Amanda Fosang

Last updated

Amanda Fosang
AM
Born
NationalityAustralian
Scientific career
FieldsArthritis, cartilage, skeletal development, metalloproteinases, aggrecan
Institutions The University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Amanda Jane Fosang AM is a biomedical researcher who has pioneered arthritis research in Australia.

Contents

Career

Fosang is a principal research fellow with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia who has an established career researching arthritis and cartilage biology in health and disease. [1] She is professor and group leader of arthritis research at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics. Fosang returned to Australia after completing her post-doctoral studies at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London, [1] and was awarded an RD Wright Fellowship by the NHMRC in 1994. Since then she has received continuous competitive grant and fellowship funding from the NHMRC. [2] She joined the University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine in 1990, and moved to the Department of Paediatrics in 1994. Fosang became a group leader of the MCRI at its inception in 2000.

Research program

The goal of Fosang's research program is to understand the complex interactions between cartilage cells and their matrix, in both healthy cartilage and arthritic diseases. Her work focuses on the structure and function of the cartilage molecules, aggrecan and type II collagen, and the enzymes that destroy them in arthritic disease. She and her team have generated unique mice for evaluating cartilage damage in arthritic disease. Her work showing that ADAMTS-5 is the major aggrecanase in mouse cartilage was published in the high-profile international journal Nature in 2005. [3]

More recently, Fosang's group has been studying the degradation products generated by these enzymes, and how these products might regulate cellular function. Some studies are done in explant and cell culture systems, or with highly purified enzymes and substrates in vitro. Other studies use unique, genetically modified mice that have been engineered to resist cartilage destruction. Studies with these mice can provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of joint remodelling in development and disease. Her studies on cartilage biology and arthritic diseases will identify new target molecules and/or activities, for the development of disease-modifying arthritis therapies. [4]

Professional service

Fosang joined the board of directors for the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) in 2012 and was appointed Chair of the OARSI Asian Task Force in 2013. She is the first Australian appointed to the Journal of Biological Chemistry as an associate editor. [1] An educator and mentor of upcoming scientists, Fosang coordinates the Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Bachelor of Biomedicine (BBMed) Honours Program for the University of Melbourne (Department of Paediatrics) and the MCRI. [1] She has also supervised five PhD students and eleven BSc Honours students to course completion. [2]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthritis</span> Type of joint disorder

Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some types of arthritis, other organs are also affected. Onset can be gradual or sudden.

Rheumatology is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, collectively known as rheumatic diseases, which includes many forms of arthritis as well as lupus and Sjögren's syndrome. Doctors who have undergone formal training in rheumatology are called rheumatologists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osteoarthritis</span> Form of arthritis caused by degeneration of joints

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affecting 1 in 7 adults in the United States alone. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and, when the back is affected, weakness or numbness of the arms and legs. The most commonly involved joints are the two near the ends of the fingers and the joint at the base of the thumbs, the knee and hip joints, and the joints of the neck and lower back. The symptoms can interfere with work and normal daily activities. Unlike some other types of arthritis, only the joints, not internal organs, are affected.

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is one of the institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Glucosamine (C6H13NO5) is an amino sugar and a prominent precursor in the biochemical synthesis of glycosylated proteins and lipids. Glucosamine is part of the structure of two polysaccharides, chitosan and chitin. Glucosamine is one of the most abundant monosaccharides. Produced commercially by the hydrolysis of shellfish exoskeletons or, less commonly, by fermentation of a grain such as corn or wheat, glucosamine has many names depending on country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synovial fluid</span> Fluid found in the cavities of synovial joints

Synovial fluid, also called synovia,[help 1] is a viscous, non-Newtonian fluid found in the cavities of synovial joints. With its egg white–like consistency, the principal role of synovial fluid is to reduce friction between the articular cartilage of synovial joints during movement. Synovial fluid is a small component of the transcellular fluid component of extracellular fluid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADAMTS5</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5 also known as ADAMTS5 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ADAMTS5 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease</span> Medical condition

Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition disease, also known as pseudogout and pyrophosphate arthropathy, is a rheumatologic disease which is thought to be secondary to abnormal accumulation of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals within joint soft tissues. The knee joint is most commonly affected. The disease is metabolic in origin and its treatment remains symptomatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proteoglycan 4</span> Proteoglycan; lubricant; gene

Proteoglycan 4 or lubricin is a proteoglycan that in humans is encoded by the PRG4 gene. It acts as a joint/boundary lubricant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetyl myristoleate</span> Chemical compound

Cetyl myristoleate is a fatty acid ester or, more specifically, a cetylated fatty acid (CFA). It is the cetyl ester of myristoleic acid. Preclinical and clinical data show potential benefits in the management of arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Gene therapy for osteoarthritis is the application of gene therapy to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Unlike pharmacological treatments which are administered locally or systemically as a series of interventions, gene therapy aims to establish sustained therapeutic effect after a single, local injection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Little</span> Australian scientist and academic (born 1963)

Melissa Helen Little is an Australian scientist and academic who has served as director of Cell Biology at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute since 2019. She is also a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, and Program Leader of Stem Cells Australia. In January 2022, she became CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine reNEW, an international stem cell research center based at University of Copenhagen, and a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia, and Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-traumatic arthritis</span> Medical condition

Post-traumatic arthritis (PTAr) is a form of osteoarthritis following an injury to a joint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marguerite Evans-Galea</span> Molecular biologist and advocate for women in STEMM

Marguerite Virginia Evans-Galea is the co-founder of Women in STEMM Australia. STEMM. Her research is focused on gene therapy and neurodegenerative diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melissa Wake</span> New Zealand paediatric academic

Melissa Anne Wake is a New Zealand paediatrician and scientific director of the Generation Victoria initiative, which states the aim of creating very large, parallel whole-of-state birth and parent cohorts in Victoria, Australia, for Open Science discovery and interventional research. She is group leader of the Murdoch Children's Research Institute's Prevention Innovation Research Group and holds professorial positions with the University of Melbourne and the University of Auckland.

A disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) is a disease-modifying drug that would inhibit or even reverse the progression of osteoarthritis. Since the main hallmark of osteoarthritis is cartilage loss, a typical DMOAD would prevent the loss of cartilage and potentially regenerate it. Other DMOADs may attempt to help repair adjacent tissues by reducing inflammation. A successful DMOAD would be expected to show an improvement in patient pain and function with an improvement of the health of the joint tissues.

Vera Ignjatovic is an Australian medical researcher specialising in paediatric thrombosis and haemostasis and in proteomics. She is also a former handballer having represented Australia at the 2000 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachelle Buchbinder</span> Australian rheumatologist and medical researcher

Rachelle Buchbinder is an Australian rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist. Her clinical practice is in conjunction with research involving multidisciplinary projects relating to arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. She promotes improvement of communication with patients and health literacy in the community.

Julie Bines is a clinician and researcher working in Melbourne, Australia. Alongside being a professor and deputy head of the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne, she is also a paediatric gastroenterologist at the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne and is the leader of the Enteric Diseases group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Bines is the joint head of the WHO Collaborative Centre for Child Health and founding member of Women in Global Health Australia.

Francisco Javier Blanco García, is a Spanish medical professional who has established a notable career in the field of rheumatology. He holds the position of full professor in the Department of Physiotherapy, Medicine, and Biomedical Sciences at the Universidad de A Coruña. Additionally, he serves as the Head of the Clinical and Translational Rheumatology Section at the A Coruña University Hospital and is the Coordinator of the Rheumatology-Health Research Group at INIBIC and CICA-UDC. Francisco J Blanco is also a Corresponding Academic of the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain, the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy of Spain, and the Royal Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Galicia. Recently, he was appointed Director of the Cathedra San Rafael Foundation-UDC.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mukhopadhyay, Rajendrani (February 2014). "Meet Amanda Fosang: A new associate editor of The Journal of Biological Chemistry". ASBMB Today. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 "A/Professor Amanda Fosang". Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  3. Stanton H, Rogerson FM, East CJ, Golub SB, Lawlor KE, Meeker CT, Little CB, Last K, Farmer PJ, Campbell IK, Fourie AM, Fosang AJ. ADAMTS5 is the major aggrecanase in mouse cartilage in vivo and in vitro. Nature. 2005 Mar 31;434(7033):648-52.
  4. Fosang, Amanda J., and Christopher B. Little. "Drug insight: aggrecanases as therapeutic targets for osteoarthritis." Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology 4.8 (2008): 420-427.
  5. "Professor Amanda Jane FOSANG". It's An Honour. Retrieved 26 January 2021.